The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity to enable greater value and service by exchange of data with the manufacturer, operator, or other connected devices. In many IoT systems, the individual physical objects may have limited or no computational capability (e.g., sensors), but merely send data to and receive instruction from a central server.
The development of the IoT may lead to the existence of a great number of devices, potentially each of them sending and receiving information to and from a central server. The use of a central server may, in some circumstances, require significant computational resources, and may also result in privacy and security concerns for the data generated the IoT devices.